The Phoenix and the Serpent's Last
by Saria09
Summary: A one shot about the night before Lily Evan's wedding, she calls upon the one thing she needs closure about, Severus Snape. They become closer than they had in years, yet they both know that nothing they do can ever let them be together again.


Lily Evans stared up at her ceiling the night before her wedding. Her mind was filled with a thought she hadn't dared to let into her mind in three years-Severus Snape. Her mind was filled with doubt about what she was about to do, yet she went to her dresser and pulled out her wand slowly.

"_Expectatori Snape_." She whispered.

Moments later sparks were appearing next to her wand, signaling that he would be coming. Then a loud noise filled the room and there before her stood the man she once loved.

He had changed since she last saw him. He looked paler and his hair was the greasiest she had ever seen it. His dull eyes lit up when he saw that she was smiling.

"Lily." He whispered.

"Hello Severus." She said quietly.

They stood in silence for several seconds until Severus started to cry silently.

Lily moved next to him and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Why are you crying?"

He didn't look at her. "Because you asked me to come."

She put her hand under his chin. "I had to see you again."

"Why?" Severus asked quietly.

"Because, I missed you." She said.

Severus's weeping intensified as she spoke. He started to shake and could not control himself. "I missed you too."

"Severus, tomorrow is my wedding day." She said quietly.

"I know." He said in a tortured voice. "Why are you marrying him?"

"Severus." She said quietly.

"Lily. Please." He met her eyes for the first time in 3 years.

"Sev, he really is sweet." She said quietly.

Severus looked away quickly.

"Sev, you thought." Lily said, realizing what she had made him think. "Oh, Sev, I'm sorry."

"We haven't talked in 3 years and I thought, I just hoped." Severus's breathing became sharp and erratic.

She put a hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Why am I even here?!" He yelled.

"Please, you'll wake my parents." Lily said quietly.

"So what?" Severus asked.

"They still like you, you know. They still ask when they'll see you again. Do you really want my mum to come in and change her mind about you?" Lily half smiled.

"No." Severus said quietly. "But did you have me over to yell at me more? To tell me that Potter's just so much better than me? To hurt me more?"

"No." Lily started to cry. "I just wanted to tell you, I've missed you."

"But why make me come?" Severus asked. "Is Potter standing in the corner? Is Black down the hall waiting to come in and jinx me?"

"No!" Lily said quickly. "Why would I do that?"

"Because the last time I saw you you wanted nothing to do with me." Severus said.

"And I can't change my mind?" Lily asked.

"We haven't talked since, since that night." Severus turned red and stared down at his shoes.

"Well I'm not 15 anymore." Lily said quietly.

"So, you're not mad?" Severus asked.

"Of course not! Sev, come on, I can't hold a grudge that long." Lily told him.

They smiled at each other.

"Can you believe that spell still works?" Lily asked.

"No, remember that was the first spell we ever invented." Severus said.

"The use has changed a bit. You know, it's much more effective when you don't have to walk across school to meet me. Apparating is so much more efficient." Lily said.

"Yeah, I guess." Severus said. He pointed to the dress hanging in her wardrobe. "Is that your wedding dress?"

"Yeah, it's a bit different from what I had expected I'd like, but I think it'll look nice." Lily turned pink. She felt uncomfortable discussing this with Severus.

"Remember that year when we convinced that Penskin kid that we were married?" Severus asked.

"Oh my god! I totally forgot about that!" Lily started laughing. Daniel Penskin had been one of Petunia's various boyfriends. "Why did we start that, do you remember?"

"He was asking why we had been gone over break." Severus explained.

"Oh yeah! And remember how he thought that he had to propose to Petunia so she wouldn't think he was a crummy boyfriend?" Lily asked.

"And how he came to me asking what ring I should get her?" Severus laughed. "And how to keep the charade up I got you that cheap little ring from the store down the street? It didn't even fit, did it?"

"Wait a second." Lily walked over to her dresser and got out a small box. She pulled out the ring Severus had given her when they were 14.

"You still have it?" Severus said quietly.

"Of course. I still have everything you gave me." Lily slipped off the ring James had given her and put on the ring Severus had given her. "See, you just had to give it a few years, now it fits."

Severus stared at her hand. Lily noticed and slipped the ring off her finger.

"That was a long time ago." Lily said in a whisper.

"I know." Severus said sadly.

"How's Avery?" Lily asked.

"I don't know. I haven't talked with him much since we left school." Severus said quietly. "How's Potter's gang?"

"They're really not that bad." Lily said.

Severus snorted.

"Severus." Lily said. "You don't even know them!"

"And what about my friends? You don't know them!" Severus said.

"Your friends murder my friends!" Lily snapped back.

Severus's eyes turned cold. "And yours don't!"

"We're trying to save people from getting killed!" Lily yelled.

They glared at each other for several minutes.

"This is why we can't be friends." Lily said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Severus asked.

Lily reached over and grabbed his arm. She pushed up his sleeve to show his Dark Mark. "You're a Death Eater."

"And you're in the Order." Severus said quietly.

"Come on, you'll probably have orders to kill me one of these days." Lily said.

Severus's head snapped up to look at her. "I couldn't kill you!"

"Then You-Know-Who would kill you." Lily said.

"Why would you say that?" Severus asked.

"Because it's true." Lily said seriously. "Sev, if You-Know-Who knew you were here you'd be dead and you know it!"

"He won't know!" Severus insisted. "The Dark Lord doesn't care about me, I'm nothing."

"Nothing but a Death Eater who is spending his night with a Mudblood." Lily said.

Severus gave her a tortured look. "Please, don't say that word."

"Sev, that word isn't what ended our friendship." Lily said.

"What?" Severus asked.

"It was the fact that you weren't who I thought you were. You had never said that word in front of me let alone when describing me. That made me see that you chose your friends and not me." Lily explained.

"No, no that's not true! Lily, I just want you." Severus begged.

"It's too late, Sev." Lily told him.

"No, it's not!" Severus tried.

"Sev." Lily the ring James gave her back on her finger.

Severus grabbed her hand. "Forget James!"

"Even if I could forget James, it would never work!" Lily snapped.

"Why?" Severus's eyes filled with tears.

"Because look at what side of the fight we're both on!" Lily said.

Severus said nothing because he knew that she was right.

"You're a snake I'm a phoenix. The two sides won't match, ever." Lily explained.

"I could change!" Severus tried.

"Then You-Know-Who would kill you." Lily said.

"I know." Severus said.

"Sev, I miss you." Lily told him.

"I love you." Severus told her.

"You what?" Lily asked.

"I love you. I've always loved you." Severus told her.

"Oh, Sev." Lily covered her face with her hands. She had never stopped having feelings for Severus, but they were no where near as strong as the feelings Severus had for her.

Severus took the hand from her face. "I'm not expecting you to love me back."

"Sev." Lily said.

Severus bent down and kissed Lily. Lily let him, and kissed him back. Severus pulled away slowly. "What do you say. Lil?"

"I say, I'm marrying James tomorrow, and I'm sorry." She told him.

Severus gave her a sad look. "I know."

"Sev, we can't meet again." Lily told him.

"Why?" Severus asked.

"Because what if You-Know-Who were to find out? You would be killed and so would I. It's too dangerous!" Lily told him.

"I know." Severus said.

"I'm sorry." Lily said.

"I am too." Severus said quietly.

"Sev, I really wish it would have ended differently." Lily said quietly.

"Me too." Severus said. "I better go, you need some sleep for tomorrow."

"Wait!" Lily said quickly. She went back to the box where she kept the ring he had given her. She pulled out a dried flower and gave it to Severus. "I want you to have this."

"What is it?" Severus asked.

"It was the flower I was playing with the day I met you. I kept it all these years as a reminder of when I learned I was a witch, but I want you to have it." Lily explained.

Severus took the flower quietly. "Bye, Lily."

Lily wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "I really did love you, remember that." She whispered.

"I love you." Severus whispered back. He took a moment to take in Lily's long dark red hair and her beautiful green eyes, then with a crack he was gone, never to be seen by Lily again.


End file.
